LS polls to shape ticket allocation for state fight

While only two of the incumbent 25 Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLAs are contesting the Lok Sabha elections on the party ticket, the performance of other legislators would also be taken into account for the assembly elections later in the year, party insiders said on Saturday.

The assembly elections in the state are scheduled in OctoberNovember, barely a few months after the Lok Sabha elections. The total votes garnered by the BJP candidates in the respective assembly seats would act like a report card for the MLAs, they said.

“This would be like a semi-final for the MLAs. This might be a national election being fought in the name of the prime minister, but the party keeps a watch on the performance in respective assembly seats while considering ticket distribution during the assembly elections,” a senior BJP leader said.

Two of the 25 party MLAs, Manish Jaiswal and Dhullu Mahto, are contesting Lok Sabha elections on the party symbol from Hazaribagh and Dhanbad constituencies, respectively.

BJP leaders said other legislators, barring Babulal Marandi, the state party president, have been made conveners of their respective seats by the party for the Lok Sabha polls.

While only two MLAs got party tickets, around half a dozen were lobbying for tickets in different constituencies but failed to find favour. Party leaders said by giving the MLAs poll responsibility in their constituencies, the party has also tried to curb any internal damage by those who were eyeing party tickets.

“Around half a dozen MLAs were lobbying for Lok Sabha tickets, especially those in Dhanbad, Palamu, and Chatra seats. But having failed to get favour, the responsibility given by the party in respective seats, they would have to contribute despite their disappointment, if any. Any setback in their respective seats in terms of total vote share to the party candidate would not be a good assessment for them,” a party leader said.

The saffron party is contesting from 13 constituencies as per a seat-sharing pact with ally AJSU Party which will field its candidate from Giridih Lok Sabha seat. The saffron party this time is making all efforts to wrest the Rajmahal (ST) seat from JMM, where Vijay Kumar Hansdak had, in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, defeated BJP nominee Hemlal Murmu.

The BJP has changed its nominee this time and given a ticket to its former Jharkhand state president Tala Marandi from Rajmahal. For Lohardaga where the BJP won with a slender margin last time, the party has reposed faith in its Rajya Sabha MP from Jharkhand Samir Oraon, hoping that the change of candidate would help retain the seat.

THE ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS IN THE STATE ARE SCHEDULED IN OCTOBERNOVEMBER, BARELY A FEW MONTHS AFTER THE LOK SABHA ELECTIONS